HARARE, Jan. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The Zimbabwean government will soonrepossess
all unoccupied land under the Model A2 scheme for the purposes ofnational
food security, Minister of Lands, Agriculture and RuralResettlement, Joseph
Made said here on Thursday.

As a remedy to
future food security, Made said the country'sgovernors have been tasked to
identify suitable land in their provinces thatcould be put under irrigation
on a large scale similar to the winter maizecrop project initiated in
Masvingo Province.

He said some provinces
have already identified suitable areas forthe projects and that mechanisms
have been put in place to ensure thatproduction kick
off.

"We cannot fail to emulate the
example in Masvingo, which has nowprompted larger commercial entities like
Hippo Valley and Triangle to growtheir own maize crop," he
said.

He said Mashonaland West Province
had already identified theChirundu former sugar estate and Charara Estate as
areas that could be putunder large-scale maize irrigation
crop.

Addressing villagers during an
interactive meeting at Kutama DaySecondary School in Chikambi Village,
Zvimba, Made said inherent weaknesseshad been identified in the Model A2
scheme, prompting the government to takea direct interventionist approachto
salvage the situation.

"The land is going
to temporarily reside under the authority ofthestate because it cannot
remain idle in the face of the impending drought,"said
Made.

Besides the failure by prospective
farmers in taking up theirallocated land, other problems identified included
the allocation of thesame piece of land to several
farmers.

These problems prompted the
government to tighten its monitoringsystem including the allocation of land,
Made said.

He said communal people would
continue being allocated additionalland. The minister also told the
villagers that the government wouldcontinue importing maize for food relief
and instructed some Grain MarketingBoard officials who were present to
ensure that they increase their foodrelief allocation in the
area.

The interactive meeting had been
called by President Robert Mugabeto review the progress in the construction
and refurbishment of Kutama DaySecondary School.

The commander of Zimbabwe's armed
forces has publicly admitted for the firsttime that the country is deep in
crisis and has recommended a national taskforce should resolve the country's
emergency.

The powerful head of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Air
Force ofZimbabwe spoke out while most senior politicians, including
President RobertMugabe, refuse to publicly acknowledge the country is in
turmoil. Some blamethe drought for the problems.

Although General
Vitalis Zvinavashe reiterated his loyalty to Mr Mugabe,observers in Zimbabwe
saw his statement as a direct confirmation that senioraides to Mr Mugabe
were greatly worried by the country's slide intoperdition and many of them
would be relieved if their leader quit.

This week, the general denied
hatching a plan to send President Mugabe intoretirement in return for
immunity from prosecution. Morgan Tsvangirai, theopposition leader, said he
was approached with the plan by a mediator whosaid he was representing
General Zvinavashe and Emmerson Mnangagwa, theParliamentary
speaker.

General Zvinavashe said Zimbabweans had to be told frankly that
the countrywas in a crisis. "First we must admit there is a crisis," General
Zvinavashetold Business Tribune, a newspaper owned by Mutumwa Mawere, a
prominentbusinessman with strong links to President Mugabe and the ruling
Zanu-PF."Everyone can see that. So we must do something about it. It is
importantfor the nation to be told that we are facing an economic crisis. In
my view,it is not right to keep quiet and let nature take its
course."

He called for a national task force involving all branches of
government,"and not necessarily cabinet ministers", to be set up urgently to
deal withwhat he called an emergency situation in Zimbabwe.

General
Zvinavashe did not say whether the task force should include theopposition
but said it must have powers to make substantive decisions thatwould not be
overturned by civil servants or cabinet ministers. He said thetask force
should be supervised by the 79-year-old President.

Lovemore Madhuku, a
University of Zimbabwe law professor, said: "It does saya lot when senior
soldiers, the greatest beneficiaries of Mugabe's corruptpatronage, start
admitting things are bad. It also confirms the deniedreports about
initiatives to oust Mugabe are not completely unfounded."

General
Zvinavashe, who rarely gives press interviews, has attributed thosereports
to British propaganda.

In another blow to President Mugabe, the Zimbabwe
High Court yesterdaynullified the results of two constituencies won by his
party in the bitterlycontested June 2000 parliamentary elections, and
accused the ruling party ofhaving used violence to win the seats.

The
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) narrowly lost to MrMugabe's
Zanu-PF and went to court to challenge results in 37constituencies. Seven
Zanu-PF victories have been overturned and threeruling party election wins
upheld.

Judge Rita Makarau said yesterday there was evidence of
widespreadintimidation of MDC supporters before the polls. "Properties were
destroyedand burnt as part of the intimidation. The evidence before me can
only leadto the conclusion that free franchise was affected in the
constituency andtherefore corrupt practices were committed in the election
of therespondents."

Civil rights groups in Zimbabwe will hold a series of
demonstrations tocoincide with the staging of World Cup matches in the
country next month.

Opposition groups are unhappy that Zimbabwe is being
allowed to host thematches because of the human rights record of Robert
Mugabe's Government.Zimbabwe is due to host six matches during the World Cup
but is affected bypolitical unrest and is threatened by
famine.

Lovemore Madhuku from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)
said theprotest marches were not aimed at cricket. He said: "The focus is to
exposeto the international community the excesses of the Zimbabwean regime.
Youcannot treat Zimbabwe as a venue for international gatherings
becauseZimbabwe cannot be classified as part of the civilised
internationalcommunity."

The NCA has organised several protests
against government policy in recentyears. Earlier this week, the England and
Wales Cricket Board confirmed thatEngland would travel to Zimbabwe despite
pressure from the Britishgovernment to boycott the fixture.

The World
Cup director Ali Bacher said he will visit Zimbabwe to make sureit is safe.
Bacher said that he had met the South African police to discussthe
matter.

"We can expect a safe and secure Cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe
during thatperiod in February," he said. "I'm going up there within the next
10 days,just to get a feel of what the situation is."

Despite the
uncertainty in Zimbabwe, Bacher said it would have no effect onthe World
Cup. "What's happened in Zimbabwe will not, in our view, underminewhat we
believe will be a wonderful event for South Africa, Africa andinternational
cricket," he said.

The Australian government said yesterday that it had
virtually given uptrying to persuade the Australian team to boycott their
match in Zimbabwe.Elsewhere, Kenya is battling to convince the International
Cricket Council(ICC) that it is capable of handling security at its two
World Cup matches.Security fears grew in November when 16 people were killed
in a suicidebombing at an Israeli-owned hotel on the Kenyan
coast.

Kenya's government is due to issue a formal statement reassuring
Testnations that their country can take care of security for the matches
againstNew Zealand and Sri Lanka on 21 and 24
February

In the mushrooming cities of the
developing world, farming is a growingbusiness. Figures from the United
Nations Development Programme peg thenumber of urban farmers at about 800
million worldwide. Most of them arepoor or middle class. They raise
livestock and grow produce to feed theirfamilies and, where possible, to
generate income.

In the process, they recycle wastes, reuse water, and
put idle land toproductive use. Many governments now recognise the
contribution urbanfarmers make to cleaner, healthier cities. Most, however,
lack policies tointegrate urban agriculture into sustainable urban
management practices.

The International Development Research Centre has
initiated a Cities FeedingPeople (CFP) Programme to try to bridge that gap
by supporting research anddevelopment activities that increase the food
security and incomes of thepoor while maintaining public health and a clean
urban environment.

Through CFP projects, the Programme Initiative is
seeking to create a betterunderstanding of the constraints faced by urban
farmers who are oftenhampered by unfavourable local policies and limited
access to resources.Women producers, in particular, face many obstacles. CFP
also supportsresearch that examines the political economy of urban
agriculture, includingaccess to credit and investment schemes, the role of
urban agriculture inthe recycling chain, and links with rural
agriculture.

The concept of urban agriculture in Zimbabwe took off the
ground during theyears of the liberation struggle as most families left
their rural homes dueto the war to settle in the cities where they had to
supplement theirincomes by tilling small pieces of land.

Despite the
end of the war, urban agriculture has continued to prosper as afood and
income supplement.

According to a study by the University of Zimbabwe
Department of Geographyand Environmental studies conducted last year, the
number of open areas inHarare under cultivation rose from 4 822 in 1980 to 9
288 hectares in 1994.

At least more than 70 percent of urban dwellers
were said to be living inpoverty and it was hoped urban farming would
greatly improve theirlifestyles

In the past, urban agriculture in
Zimbabwe was viewed as having a negativeimpact on the environment and
planning settlements to the extent that urbancouncils had made it
illegal.

However, owing to the importance of urban farming in poverty
reduction,councils last year resolved to support it.

This resulted in
the allocation of about 40 000 hectares for urban farmingin
Harare.

The land was mainly made up of farms around the city that were
acquired bythe Government.

The Harare City Council also resolved not
to slash any maize this year inview of the severity of the
drought.

Council public relations officer, Mr Cuthbert Rwazemba said no
maize cropswould be slashed this year because of the serious food
shortages.

"Council will not slash any maize crop this year because of
the increasinghigh levels of food shortage and poverty among the people," he
said.

The city council has in the past destroyed maize crops because it
was eitherplanted too close to rivers or national roads.

Many
residents defy council bans on stream-bank cultivation and do notobserve the
stipulated 30-metre distance from a river or stream, whichcauses siltation
of rivers.

Siltation may affect water supply in the metropolitan
area.

Experience from other countries, especially western nations, has
shown thatif co-ordinated successfully, urban agriculture has the potential
ofboosting food provision in urban areas.

A case in point is the
United Kingdom where local authorities in England andWales provide
allotments (plots) for urban farming.

The UK government recognises the
importance of allotment gardening for foodprovision, recreation and the
sustainable regeneration of the towns andcities.

A UZ lecturer in the
Department of Rural and Urban Planning, Mr TakawiraMubvami, said the major
challenge facing urban agriculture was lack ofproper policy
planning.

Mr Mubvami is also the co-ordinator of a project on urban
agriculture withthe Municipal Development Programme Partnership of Eastern
and SouthernAfrica.

"If properly planned, urban agriculture has the
potential of being a majorsource of food for urban dwellers," he
said.

Mr Mubvami said the shortage of basic foodstuffs such as maize-meal
had alsoseen rich people venturing into urban farming.

He said
however, efforts to sustain urban agriculture were being hampered byseveral
factors that included access to land and how to use the land in asustainable
manner.

Mr Mubvami applauded the move by members of the Musikavanhu
project inBudiriro suburb who rehabilitated a piece of land, damaged by sand
poachers,before applying to the council for permission to engage in
agriculturalactivities.

He said there was a need for co-ordination
among stakeholders in order tomake urban agriculture a success.

A
pilot project is currently running in Harare's Crowborough North
suburbcalled Zimwonde project, which is the brainchild of the Zimbabwe
FarmersUnion. The project has a thriving 15-hectare inter-cropped maize and
beancrop.

The maize has reached tassel stage while the bean crop is
almost ready forharvest.

As a way of recognising efforts by the urban
farmers, the ZFU recently helda field day, the first of its kind, in
Crowborough North. The union'spresident and vice-president, Mr Silas Hungwe
and Mr Wilfanos Mashingaidzerespectively, attended the field
day.

Initiated in 1998, the Zimwonde project consists of about 100
members,mostly women.

What is unique about this project is that some
of the proceeds from thefield are used to feed at least 65 orphans whose
parents died of HIV/Aidsrelated illnesses.

Last year about 20 tonnes
of maize were harvested from the field and thiswas distributed equally among
the members.

Zimwonde project secretary Mrs Deliwe Chikuni said harsh
economic conditionshad forced the group to venture into the
programme.

"We have no choice but to engage in agriculture as a way of
boosting foodsecurity within our families," she said. Mrs Chikuni said this
year's yieldswere likely to decrease since part of the land they tilled had
beenallocated for residential stands.

"Although we were given a go
ahead by the city council to till this land,there is no security of tenure
hence the allocation of part of the land forresidential stands," she
said.

Thieves who occasionally stole some of the crop, Mrs Chikuni said,
hadcompounded the problem.

She said cattle from a nearby-farm owned
by the city council sometimesinvaded the fields.

"We are appealing to
the city council to do its best to assist us in thisregard," Mrs Chikuni
said.

Apart from being engaged in the farming activities, she said,
members werealso involved in other projects such as soap making and tie and
dye.

Mr Hungwe said most people looked at farming as the preserve of
commercialand resettled farmers, disregarding the urban farmer who is also
capable ofdoing wonders.

"This shows total commitment to the
Government's call for using the land fornational prosperity," he
said.

"We do not hesitate to recommend the Government to give such people
land asthey have proved that they are capable."

Mr Hungwe commended
the project members for embarking on a programme to feedorphans in view of
the drought ravaging the nation.

He called upon local authorities to
allocate more land to urban farmers foragricultural activities.

The
harsh economic conditions in Zimbabwe have resulted in large numbers ofurban
dwellers turning into farming in order to contain
poverty.

Foot-and-mouth disease out of control in
Zimbabwe
January 17, 2003,
05:30

The South African Meat Industry Company (Samic), saysfoot-and-mouth disease
in Zimbabwe is raging out of
control.

Samic has asked government to do more to prevent the spread ofthe disease to
South Africa. Samic says recent outbreaks in Mozambique andBotswana
originated in
Zimbabwe.

Manie Booysen, Samic chief executive, says local beef farmersare opening up
new export markets. Booysen, says it will be devastating forthem if South
Africa again experienced an outbreak of foot-and-mouth as atthe end of 2000
in
KwaZulu-Natal.

Booysen says the meat industry has approached the government topay for the
vaccination of cattle in Zimbabwe, which that country
cannotafford.

Botswana has meanwhile lifted a countrywide ban on the slaughterof
cloven-hoofed livestock, saying the present outbreak of
foot-and-mouthdisease is confined to one area. On Wednesday, South Africa
banned theimport of all cloven-hoofed animals from
Botswana.

Catholics censure their bishops for appeasing
Mugabe
From Jan Raath in
Harare

SENIOR members of one of Zimbabwe's biggest Catholic diocesesdelivered a
scathing attack against the church hierarchy yesterday forappeasing
President Mugabe, and demanded that it confront his "evil
regime".
The move came as a judge stripped two MPs from the ruling Zanu(PF) party of
their seats, ruling that their victories in 2000 had been wonthrough
"intimidation and violence". Six Zanu (PF) victories have beennullified out
of 41 being challenged by the opposition Movement forDemocratic
Change.

The 260 priests, deacons, sisters and brothers of thearchdiocese of Bulawayo
said: "There is no place for neutrality in the faceof the evil which is
destroying our nation. Time has run out for compromisewith an evil regime.
Attempts to use personal influence and persuasion haveonly allowed a corrupt
system to consolidate its
power."

The Western Matabeleland provinces have probably suffered farmore brutality
at Mr Mugabe's hands than any other part of the country.Dissent among the
Ndebele-speaking people could provoke an even greaterthreat of schism in the
country.

The clergy demanded that the Catholic Bishops' Conference, thechurch's
executive body, "come out publicly with a clear and honest voice,on behalf
of the voiceless, as their predecessors did during the liberationstruggle
(against the former white minority Rhodesian
Government)".

This is the first time that the general clergy of Zimbabwe'smost powerful
church have spoken out against the silence of their bishopsover the past
three years of repression and lawlessness under Mr
Mugabe.

Observers say that Mr Mugabe has successfully courted theleadership of most
churches in Zimbabwe and counts the heads of both theCatholic and Anglican
churches as his personal allies. The exception hasbeen Archbishop Pius Ncube
of Bulawayo, who has constantly condemned MrMugabe and helped to focus
international attention on Zanu (PF)'s strategyof denying food aid to
starving opposition
supporters.

He is kept under permanent state surveillance and said to be ona secret
police hitlist. "We condemn those who harass, who attack, who planevil
against the Archbishop," the clergy said. "We condemn those who attemptto
silence his
voice."

.. Nqobile Nyathi, the Editor of the independent FinancialGazette, said
yesterday that she had been detained by police for allegedlypublishing false
information about Mr Mugabe. The charges referred toadvertisements in the
newspaper last year for a mock trial of Mr Mugabe inwhich he was blamed for
murder and rape by his militias.

It seems that - thanks to the
successful democratic elections inKenya - the winds of change are beginning
to sweep the African continent.

With
opposition alliances assuming their rightful place in determiningthe future
of their countries, the state of democracy now looks brighter andmore
promising than ever before.

This serves as
good riddance to one-party states that dominated Africathroughout the
post-liberation era.

Now Zambia wants to
follow suit. The opposition parties in thatcountry want to unite under one
roof.

These interesting events show that
the African people are sick andtired of empty promises, corruption, nepotism
and poverty which have alwaysgiven our continent a bad
name.

The people want a better life. Gone
are the days of glorifyingleaders, many of whom pursued selfish aims under
the pretext of serving theinterests of the
poor.

Leaders from countries such as
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi are goodexamples of
that.

More than two-thirds of Zimbabweans
are at risk of starvation whilePresident Robert Mugabe and his cronies have
food to put on their table.Moreover, the beneficiaries of the controversial
land redistributionexercise are members of the ruling elite, generals in the
army andcard-carrying members of
Zanu-PF.

While he himself has food aplenty
to feed his stomach, President LevyMwanawasa of Zambia denies his own people
the same because he argues thatthe genetically modified foods are
toxic.

In Malawi, President Bakili Muluzi
is trying to change theconstitution to remain in office to loot more
resources while the economy ofhis country
founders.

The new era of politics, as has
been proven in Kenya, augurs well forAfrica as a positive continent with a
brighter future.

These latest developments
should also strengthen the will of those whoare advocating the New
Partnership for Africa's Development
(Nepad).

THE British government says sensible land reform in
Zimbabwe has been put injeopardy by policies of that country's President
Robert Mugabe.In response to a Press query, Ian Mason, second secretary
(political, Pressand public affairs) at the British high commission said
since the landconference, the Zimbabwean government had failed to honour its
commitments.During the ceremony at which former Republican president Dr
Kenneth Kaundawas conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the
Eagle of Zambia,visiting Zimbabwean President Mugabe lashed out at the
British governmentfor frustrating land reforms.But Mr Mason said Britain
was supportive of sustainable land reform and hadeven contributed over 40
million pounds towards the exercise.He said Mr Mugabe's government had,
however, chosen to encourage or ignoreinvasions of commercial farms by
"so-called" war veterans and abandonedsensible economic policy."It has
stood by while farmers and their farm workers have been subjected toviolence
and intimidation. Evidence shows that it has seized properties in achaotic
fashion and handed them to people in its own ranks, unskilled andwithout
necessary input to make land viable."In its anti-colonial rhetoric it has
ignored the fact that many commercialfarmers in Zimbabwe bought their land
since independence with government'sformal agreement," Mr Mason
explained.He said under the circumstances it was clear that sensible land
reform hadbeen placed in jeopardy by Mr Mugabe's policies and as such the
Britishgovernment was unable to provide assistance to that regime.Mr
Mason denied his government's involvement in any discussions
concerningZimbabwe's crisis. He said any post Mugabe administration was a
matter forthe Zimbabwean people who should be allowed to select the
government oftheir choice."The UK government will work with a future
administration that upholds therule of law, respects democratic principles
and promotes sound economicpolicies," he said.Mr Mason said the land
reform issue was initiated in 1996 when theZimbabwean government was asked
to submit proposals for the three millionpound United Kingdom land
resettlement grant.

England shouldn't
shake the hand, they should be shaking the
world January 17,
2003

As political statements go, England's
"non-handshake policy" must haveRobert Mugabe quivering. How he must be
throwing his Harrod's toys aroundthe presidential mansion, wringing his
hands in anguish and crying so hardthat the Grecian 2000 dye in his
mini-Hitler moustache streams down his chinin a river of
black.

But then England don't have a lot
of other options open to them aftertheir board declared this week that they
would play their World Cup match inHarare in
February.

They will be in and out of
Zimbabwe like thieves in the night,hopefully burgling themselves some useful
World Cup points along the way.They are hoping that it will be over before
they even notice it has begun.

Indeed,
there has been a quite awful silence from the English playersand their
Zimbabwean coach on the decision made by the England and WalesCricket Board.
When they were informed as they sat down to breakfast at theStamford Plaza
Hotel in Adelaide a few days ago, the only comment to besqueezed out of one
player was: "So we're going, then?" Indeed you
are, me old son. And that was that. There was no debate, nosustained nor
hysterical chatter about the dangers and moral dilemma ofplaying in country
run by a senile old man and his megalomanic sidekick.Team England just went
about the business of trying desperately not to loseanother match. The
decision had been taken for them in a two-hour meetingback in England. They
were thankful that it was out of their
hands.

At least one man from England will
not be going to Zimbabwe thissummer. Pat Murphy, the respected voice of
cricket on the BBC's Radio 5 anda lauded biographer, will boycott the Harare
match in protest at thepolicies and actions of
Mugabe.

"This is not an issue of safety
for me, it is a matter of personalmorality," said Murphy. "I think it
reflects well upon the maturity of theBBC that they allow me to exercise
such freedom of conscience. It is apersonal decision and I don't view any of
my own colleagues, or the Englandplayers, who choose to travel to Zimbabwe
censoriously."

Murphy has fought racism on
many fronts for many years. He supportedthe Stop the Tour movement, which
caused South Africa's 1970 tour of Englandto be cancelled. He supported
Basil D'Oliveira through the "D'OliveiraAffair" (and is the author of
D'Oliveira's autobiography).

His boycott
of Zimbabwe, though, looks as though it could be a lonelyvigil,with few of
his countrymen and even fewer others from other lands,looking as though they
will join him.

England were forced to play
in Zimbabwe by the duplicity of TonyBlair's government, who sought to use
Nasser Hussain and a few mates to dealwith the threat of Mugabe while they
sent troops and rockets to deal withSaddam Hussein. But now that England are
going to play in Harare, Hussainshould take the opportunity to open a few
eyes to the mess that the countryhas
become.

Take a few television crews out on
a walk of the capital, talk to thelocals, say something about Zimbabwe in
press conferences and the post-matchpresentation, donate match fees to the
starving - above all make sure thatthe massive satellite audience is aware
of the context in which a World Cupmatch is taking
place.

By all means refuse to shake hands
with Mugabe, but don't be toosurprised if he doesn't turn up on the day to
give you the chance to ignorehis hand.

Every Zimbabwean I know living in South Africa has told me how much aboycott
would mean to them as a sign that the rest of the world is takingnotice of
the plight in their homeland. You cannot help but agree with them.Boycotts
work. Ask PW Botha.

But a boycott is a
long-term solution to Zimbabwe. What the World Cupcan do for Zimbabwe in the
short-term is to further highlight how far downthe road to ruin the country
is.

Percy Sonn said this week that:
"England has given Zimbabwe aprivilege. Without them (England), cricket in
Zimbabwe would be dead."

Without some
brave words and actions from privileged cricketers nextmonth, all life in
Zimbabwe could be dead sooner than we think.

Members who have full valuations of their farms,
and have paid the full rate for this service, are enquiring as to why they
should have to agree to allow the Valuation Consortium to collect a further
3.15% commission for representing them in this regard.

Their concern is justified, and in fact this
cannot happen because a scale of charges which is applicable to all the
professional valuators fixes the maximum fees they can charge their clients for
their various services, and that is approved by Government. The 3.15% commission
has been calculated so as to recover an amount which is in keeping with the
relevant tariff.

Clearly if an amount has previously been paid to
one of the participating partners, it cannot be repeated, and the Consortium
recognise this very clearly. What they will do in such cases is to credit the
account of the farmer who registers his property details with them with the
amount he has already paid. This credit will be reconciled when a final
compensation pay-out is achieved. The 3.15% commission may be more or less than
the original payment, depending on exactly which mode of valuation and a number
of other variables which will be agreed upon with the fund managers at the time.
At this time, who may manage the fund we seek to establish is unknown. In this
way no double payment will occur and the agents will recover no more than their
proper dues.

Gerry Davison,

Executive Officer, Compensation
Committee.

WAGE AGREEMENT SEPTEMBER
2002 - AUGUST 2003

For a number of days I have been trying to meet
with the Minister of Labour to try to persuade him to register the Collective
Bargaining Agreement. Finally, yesterday afternoon I, together with a
representative from GAPWUZ and the Executive Officer of the NEC were granted an
audience with the Permanent Secretary and Registrar of that Ministry. We
were categorically told that we had to renegotiate our agreement but as to what
the objections were to it, the two officials were extremely evasive. On
this basis we have convened a meeting with GAPWUZ next Thursday, 23
January 2003, to reopen negotiations.

The ALB wanted the meeting to be held
earlier but GAPWUZ officials said that they needed more time to consult
with their members. For our part, I have convened a
board meeting of the ALB Board Members on Wednesday 22 January 2003 because
a mandate is needed in order for negotiations to resume. Assuming that we reach some sort of agreement with GAPWUZ the Ministry of
Labour will still have to ratify any agreement and this is likely to take a
couple of weeks at least.

We are aware of the urgency of the matter
and will proceed as quickly as possible but we are likely to be constrained
by bureaucracy at the end of the day. In the meanwhile from a legal of
view there is no obligation what so ever on farmers to institute the January
increase because the Ministry of Labour refused to register the
agreement.

As soon as there are any new developments I
shall send out a further e-mail. This will in all likelihood be next
Friday 24 January 2003.

Nigel
Juul

Chairman

THE MAIZE SITUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA
15TH JANUARY 2003

The South African maize crop is delayed, after a
hot, dry November, when only 50% of the intended 3 million-hectare crop was
planted, and by 10th December 2002 only 70% of the intended 3 million
hectares was planted. By January maize farmers were smiling again with good
rains. Now there’s a heat wave and yesterdays South African market report,
however, forecasted damages to the crop if hot and dry conditions prevailed for
longer than a week. Total maize production forecasted is 8.5 million tonnes (5.1
million tonnes white and 3.4 million tonnes yellow). Well in excess of their
domestic requirements of 7.6 million tonnes, add to this is a large carry-over
of 1.2 million tone, and potentially South Africa will have a surplus of over 2
million tonnes (if the weather changes!).

White maize prices have fallen since November last
year by R300 per tonne driven by the good rains, the large carry-over stock,
weaker international prices, and of course a strengthening Rand. Yellow maize
prices have fallen R200 a tonne in the same period, and this may well have been
as a result of Zambia purchasing Chinese origin yellow maize, when South Africa
expected Zambia to buy SA GMO free maize.

Source : JSE SAFEX 13/01/2003

Commodity

Jan 2003

Mar 2003

May 2003

Jul 2003

Sep 2003

White Maize

R1530

R1623

R1565

R1527

R1562

Yellow Maize

R1296

R1306

R1308

R1307

R1341

Wheat

R1493

R1550

R1605

R1665

-

Sunflower

-

R2290

R2285

R2310

-

Soyabeans

-

-

R2600

-

-

Such is the market that as of yesterday this could all change, "weather
worries" driven by the heatwave and news of the Rand losing ground against major
currencies on Tuesday afternoon.

Vanessa
Mckay

Marketing Executive

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The fatalistic outlook which we as farmers can
have upon ourselves is a lack of confidence in our own ability to influence or
control events. This low self help perception, translates into a high dependence
upon outsiders to shape our destiny. If we continue to have the view that
conditions to the farming environment will only improve if the outside helps we
are quickly condemning ourselves to extinction. If we use our GOD given
abilities to innovate and take calculated risks, we can turn
the current lemons we are receiving into the most sought after drink
lemonade.

The fact that we are still living, mean we
can still influence and shape events

Kuda Ndoro

Agricultural Economist

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DISCLAIMER:Unless
specifically stated that this is a Commercial Farmers' Union communiqué, or that
it is being issued or forwarded to you by the sender in an official CFU
capacity, the opinions contained therein are private. Private messages
also include those sent on behalf of any organisation not directly affiliated to
the Union. The CFU does not accept any legal responsibility for private
messages and opinions held by the sender and transmitted over its local area
network to other CFU network users and/or to external
addressees.

A SENIOR
official from the Zimbabwean opposition Movement for DemocraticChange (MDC)
says the chances of talks between itself and the ruling Zanu(PF) party
depend heavily on the pressure that SA and other Southern AfricanDevelopment
Community (SADC) members can exert on President Robert Mugabe.

However,
while on a visit to SA, MDC spokesman Paul Themba-Nyathi said thatas
Pretoria was thought to have given Mugabe increasing support in recentmonths
the chances of the SA government playing the role of an honest brokerwere
slight.

He said SA had abandoned its quiet diplomacy in favour of
"outspokensupport" for Mugabe, judging by statements made by SA Foreign
AffairsMinister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Labour Minister Membathisi
Mdladlanaduring their recent visits to Zimbabwe.

Themba-Nyathi said
food and fuel shortages, as well as the spread of foodriots, could place
increasing pressure on Mugabe to open talks with theopposition.

Both
the Zimbabwean government and the opposition say there have been notalks
about a deal involving amnesty for Mugabe in exchange for hisresignation,
and there is no sign of an emerging common ground on whichnegotiations can
begin.

"There is no doubt the whole (Zimbabwe crisis) will be resolved
bynegotiation," Themba-Nyathi said.

President Thabo Mbeki and
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo failed tomeet their pledge to involve
themselves personally in an effort to achievedialogue, he
said.

"Talks can resume anytime if Zanu (PF) does not insist on
preconditions,"Themba-Nyathi said. Zanu (PF) have said they are only
prepared to begintalks if the MDC withdraws its application to have election
results setaside.

"Talk of a government of national unity, is just
not on," he said. Agovernment of national unity is one of SA's proposals to
resolve the crisis."SA thinks it can simply co-opt the MDC" into a
government of nationalunity.

"We are not going that route. What is on
is a transitional arrangement witha limited lifespan, that would lead to
free and fair elections, " he said.

Themba-Nyathi said that the matter of
whether Mugabe should be granted anamnesty would possibly be discussed. "If
you have negotiations, everythingis up for negotiation."

He said
pressure on the government was intensifying with the shortages,making it
difficult for Mugabe to distribute patronage to his supporters."You cannot
escape scarcity. Even a Zanu (PF) card does not allow people toobtain
food."

AS ZIMBABWEAN
President Robert Mugabe's succession debate rages, with rulingZanu (PF)
functionaries scrambling to contain manoeuvres against theirleader, the
political ambitions of Mugabe's close lieutenants now seem tohave been
exposed.

The intensification of machinations by Mugabe loyalists Emmerson
Mnangagwaand Vitalis Zvinavashe also appears to have placed the president in
adifficult and vulnerable position in the power struggle.

Opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai ismaking the
situation even more difficult for Mugabe by refusing to easepolitical
pressure on him.

In a bid to counter a flurry of official denials over
Mugabe's retirementplans, Tsvangirai yesterday stepped up attacks against
the Zimbabwean rulerfor his refusal to retire.

He said that Mugabe's
"public posturing", claiming that the MDC would "neverever rule this
country, was evidence of his growing paranoia
anddesperation."

"Mugabe can continue posturing and grandstanding,
saying he will not talk tothe MDC, but it's clear his rule is collapsing,"
he said.

"It's foolhardy for him to continue pretending the MDC does not
exist. Thefact is the MDC is a key player in the political scene and cannot
be wishedaway."

Tsvangirai said Mugabe's adherents had "all virtually
abandoned him, andmaintain an appearance of loyalty out of
fear".

Zimbabwe was "dangerously grinding to a halt due to extended
periods ofmisrule", Tsvangirai warned.

"There is no food, fuel,
foreign currency and basic commodities," he said."Mugabe does not know where
the next litre of diesel or petrol is comingfrom."

The growing list
of shortages in Zimbabwe now includes bank notes, blood athospitals and even
tampons for women's health.

Top Robert Mugabe allies appear
anxious about the country's slide intoruin, after the commander of
Zimbabwe's armed forces called for immediatesteps to halt the nation's
decline.

General Vitalis Zvinavashe
admitted yesterday that Zimbabwe was incrisis and recommended the setting up
of a task force to resolve thecountry's
"emergency".

But the powerful head of both
the Zimbabwe National Army and the AirForce of Zimbabwe has denied hatching
a plan to send Mugabe into exile, andhas instead called for the president to
supervise the task force.

The general, who
rarely gives interviews, spoke out at a time whenmost senior politicians,
including Mugabe, refuse to publicly acknowledgethe crisis. When some do,
they blame it on the drought.

In what was
a bad day for Mugabe, the Zimbabwe High Court nullifiedthe results of two
constituencies won by his Zanu-PF party in the June 2000parliamentary
elections, finding that the ruling party had used violence towin the
seats.

Zvinavashe said Zimbabweans had to
be told frankly that the countrywas in a
crisis.

"First we must admit there is a
crisis. Everyone can see that ... sowe must do something about it. In my
view it is not right to keep quiet andlet nature take its course," he
said.

The top man in Mugabe's army said a
national task force involving allarms of the government - and not
necessarily cabinet ministers - should beset up urgently to deal with what
he described as an emergency situation.

Zvinavashe did not say whether the task force should include theopposition,
but said it must have powers to make substantive decisions thatwould not be
overturned.

Although the general
reiterated his loyalty to Mugabe, observers inZimbabwe saw his statement as
confirmation that top Mugabe cronies aregreatly worried by the country's
slide into perdition, and many of themwould be relieved if their leader quit
power.

University of Zimbabwe law
professor Lovemore Madhuku said: "It doessay a lot when top soldiers, who
are the greatest beneficiaries of Mugabe'scorrupt patronage, start admitting
that things are indeed bad. It alsoconfirms that denied reports about
initiatives within Zanu-PF to oust Mugabeare not completely
unfounded."

But two top Zanu-PF insiders
insisted that reports of initiatives toretire Mugabe in exile in exchange
for immunity from prosecution werecompletely
baseless.

Last night Zimbabwe state radio
reported Mugabe's Information MinisterJonathan Moyo as saying the rumours
about exile for Mugabe were "thesinister work of coup
plotters". It was unclear whether he was
referring to the armed forces.

Zvinavashe
denied involvement in a plan to remove
Mugabe.

He attributed the reports to
British propaganda. The reports saidZvinavashe and parliamentary speaker
Emmerson Mnangagwa had sent retiredZimbabwe National Army Colonel Lionel
Dyke to discuss the plan with mainopposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai.

Dyke also spoke for the first
time on the controversy yesterday,saying he had approached Tsvangirai "to
sound him out on a peaceful changeof government" but denied he had done so
on behalf of Zanu-PF.

"I am a Zimbabwean
and it is in this capacity that I approached theMDC leader to sound him on
the peaceful change of government. I was notsent," Dyke
said.

Reports about plans for Mugabe's
exit from power had been met withrelief by many beleaguered Zimbabweans,
enduring a hopeless life withoutbasic commodities. - Independent Foreign
Service

Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe's world is shrinking. Time was whenhe strutted the African stage and
beyond like a liberation hero.

Now he is
under European and US travel sanctions and skulks about withfellow-pariahs.
The rising tide of democratisation in Africa is graduallydepriving him of
kindred spirits such as fellow-autocrat Daniel arap Moi,ex-president of
Kenya.

Mugabe won a victory of sorts this
week when England decided itscricketers would go ahead and play in Zimbabwe
during the World Cup ofcricket. But that will look, in retrospect, like a
brief respite in a longretreat for Mugabe. Maybe the match won't even happen
because of securityfears.

Mugabe is
believed to be concerned that hosting the World Cup willpose dangers to him
as assassins could infiltrate Zimbabwe among the crowdsof visiting
foreigners.

That may be paranoiac but
Mugabe may not be too far off the mark infearing the tournament. As he
bankrupts the country, public discontent isgrowing and food riots are
looking imminent. The opposition MDC has so farheld back from unleashing
people's power against Mugabe through massivepopular demonstrations, for
fear that Mugabe would simply mow down
hispeople.

But if the MDC were to
mobilise such demonstrations while the world'sattention was on the country
during the World Cup, it might not be so easyfor Mugabe to crack
down.

Now the rising tide of disaffection
seems to be have reached Mugabe'sinner circle. Two of his closest
lieutenants, Emmerson Mnangagwa and VitalisZvinavashe, are reported to have
sent an intermediary to MDC leader MorganTsvangirai to discuss a safe and
dignified exit for Mugabe.

These reports
prompted a flurry of denials, both from the government,and even from MDC
officials.

It remains very murky. But it
does seem clear that something is movingin Zimbabwe's centre of power.
Either Mugabe himself is feeling the comingchill and is starting to make
contingency plans or those around him are. Orperhaps Mugabe is deliberately
trying to create that impression, hoping todisarm Commonwealth leaders when
they meet in March to decide whether toextend or terminate sanctions against
him. Or maybe the MDC is just tryingto divide
Zanu-PF.

Hopefully, though, the intrigue
is a sign that Zimbabwe has entered aphase similar to that of SA in the late
1980s when the National Partyentered secret negotiations with Nelson
Mandela. He went out on a limb atthat time, as one does during genuine
negotiations, making compromises andconcessions which left most of the ANC
behind.

Remember the complete disbelief on
the faces of some internal ANCofficials when told on February 2 1990, that
FW de Klerk had unbanned theirparty and announced the imminent release of
Mandela?

Perhaps Tsvangirai is engaged in
something similar, though it is hardto imagine Mugabe in the role of De
Klerk.

Maybe he is more like a PW Botha,
negotiating but also resisting realchange. Perhaps Mnangagwa is the real De
Klerk?

The problem with this theory is why
then would these necessarily"secret" negotiations have become
public?

Perhaps the answer is that
hardliners in either Zanu-PF or the MDCexposed them, to sabotage the
compromise deal they were supposedlydiscussing - a power-sharing
transitional government leading to new, freeand fair
elections.

Zanu-PF zealots would obviously
not have liked the idea of handingsome - and perhaps eventually all - power
to the MDC.

MDC zealots would not have
liked the notion of allowing Mugabe adignified exit from office, immune from
prosecution for his crimes againstthem and the
country.

If this is so, the deal will
surely come up again. Mugabe's imminentdemise has been wrongly forecast many
times before. It would be unwise toput money on it
now.

However, one senses this time that a
changing world is closing in onthe anachronism that is Mugabe and numbering
his remaining days in office.

Maize seed available for the 2002/03 season was reported to be
47,000tonnes, of which 46,000 tonnes has been sold (53% Government, 6%
NGO's, 26%farmers, 15% private sector companies holding contracts with
farmers). Thiswould be, under other conditions, sufficient for plantings in
excess of 1.5million hectares of maize.

A large carry-over stock from
the previous season boosted the seed stocklevels. Zimbabwe's annual
requirement for maize seed is around 33,000tonnes. With increased demand
resulting from the land reform programme thiswill increase to 46,000 tonnes.
There is an approximate 30,000 tonnes ofseed maize currently under
production for next season, but given the season,and that approximately 95%
of seed under production are by first time seedgrowers, seed production is
likely to fall below budget. In addition, theseed crop is under the
increasing threat of theft off the field, and couldreduce the seed crop by a
further 30%. Zimbabwe will have to import between20,000 tonnes - 25,000
tonnes of seed.

Current seed availability in the region is critical, the
South AfricanNational Seed Organisation indicate a current surplus of maize
seed in theregion of 2,000 tonnes. The large increases in maize plantings,
up to 19%increase, and seed trade with regional countries have depleted
stocks inSouth Africa. In the Herald (27/12/02) the Minister of Agriculture
announcedGovernments intentions of importing 15,000 tonnes of maize seed
from SouthAfrica for delivery in Zimbabwe in early January 2003. Zimbabwe
will have tolook further afield to meet these requirements.

An
estimated 46,000 tonnes of seed was sold, however, it is increasinglyevident
that the area planted to maize will not likely exceed levels of 1.1million -
1.2 million hectares, for the following reasons:

1.. Below average
rains coupled with the hot dry conditions of late 2002has reduced intended
plantings; 2.. Late distribution of seed through the Government Input
Scheme, of the25,000 tonnes acquired by Government only 17,000 tonnes was
distributed byearly December 2002; 3.. Less than 50% of estimated
Z$80 billion required to finance theagricultural season has been raised
through Government, private sectorcompanies and Agribills; d.. It
is widely reported that seed has been consumed as grain, while itis
impossible to quantify, 30% of seed purchases in 2002 were undertakenearlier
than usual, and speculation would suggest much of this may have beenwashed
and consumed. Vanessa McKay, Marketing COPA/ZCPA/ZGPA 17/01/03If you require
any further information on any of the above issues pleasecontact CFU Tel 04
-309800 ext. 279 or e-mail aisd1@cfu.co.zw and we
willendeavour to supply prompt
answers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------DISCLAIMER:Unless
specifically stated that this is a Commercial Farmers' Unioncommuniqué, or
that it is being issued or forwarded to you by the sender inan official CFU
capacity, the opinions contained therein are private.Private messages also
include those sent on behalf of any organisation notdirectly affiliated to
the Union. The CFU does not accept any legalresponsibility for private
messages and opinions held by the sender andtransmitted over its local area
network to other CFU network users and/or toexternal
addressees.

JOB Sikhala, the St Mary's MP,
yesterday shed tears in court as henarrated his ordeal at the hands of the
police following his arrest forallegedly masterminding the torching of a
Zimbabwe United Passenger Company(Zupco) in Willowvale on
Monday.

Sikhala told magistrate
Caroline-Ann Chigumira that he "witnessed themost horrifying incident of
inhumanity which even the laws of the junglewould not tolerate" as he was
being tortured by the police after his
arrest.

The MP was arrested together with
Gabriel Shumba, Taurai Magaya,Innocent Kanjedzana and Farai Gudo after being
accused of burning a bus onMonday. He said
after he was arrested in St Mary's he was transferred toMatapi and later
Harare Central Police Station.

Sikhala
said he was taken to an unknown destination by two policeofficers while
blind-folded and could not breathe
properly.

"When I got there, they started
beating me under my feet," saidSikhala. "They said I had to tell the truth
about the bus incident. Theybeat me until I gave in and told them what they
considered the truth.

"I told them
everything I know under the sun, including the names ofmy
mother. "They even asked me to sign a document
implicating my colleagues inthe party as regards what they called MDC's
uprisings and their strategies.They even asked for the security of the
party's president Morgan Tsvangiraiand the home address of Nelson
Chamisa.

"All this was happening while
live electric wires were tied to a toeon each of my legs and on my genitals.
I cried and asked why God hadforsaken me." In a quivering voice, tears
trickling down his chubby cheeks,he said the beatings were conducted while
his hands and legs were tiedtogether.

"At one time I passed out and when I regained consciousness one of
theofficers urinated on me and I also urinated," said Sikhala in a low
voice.

"Then I was ordered to roll on the
urine until it dried up. I waslater told to drink some liquid which they
claimed was the urine. "But theliquid was choking and did not smell like
human urine. I am sure it was somepoisoned stuff. No wonder I had a severe
cough and running stomach
thismorning."

Shumba, Magaya,
Kanjedzana and Gudo, will testify today on
theirordeal. The five were yesterday taken
to Parirenyatwa Hospital for medicalexamination, following a request by
defence counsel led by Advocate
CharlesSelemani. Thabani Mpofu for the
State, did not oppose the application. The courtexamined their injuries
after the magistrate ordered people in the publicgallery to leave the
courtroom.

The case continues today when
Selemani will oppose the State's requestfor the remand of Sikhala, Shumba,
Magaya, Kanjedzana and Gudo.

JACOB Manzunzu, the Registrar of
the High Court in Harare, yesterdaysaid Senior Assistant Commissioner
Faustino Mazango misrepresented to thenation that Justice Benjamin Paradza
ordered the release of Elias Mudzuri,the Executive Mayor, in the absence of
police officials.

The
government-controlled Herald, in a story headlined: Defaultjudgment in
Mudzuri case baffles police, quoted the top cop as sayingParadza granted a
default judgment on Sunday night for the release ofMudzuri and 21 other
people from custody in the absence of the
police.

Manzunzu said: "It is totally
incorrect to suggest that JusticeParadza released Mudzuri and his group in
the absence of police officials onSunday because no such order was granted
on Sunday."

The order was only granted on
Monday morning after the police andtheir legal representatives were
notified.

Sources in the High Court said
the judge himself was not amused whenhe read the report in The Herald on
Wednesday morning.

Paradza said he would
raise the issue with Augustine Chihuri, thePolice Commissioner, according to
the sources.

Efforts to reach Paradza for
comment failed. "There are a lot ofinaccuracies in the article," Manzunzu
said." It is regrettable thatMazango, if the paper quoted him correctly,
rushed to the Press withoutverifying facts with his
office."

The police were served with
Mudzuri's court application and the noticeof the hearing but none of them
attended, Manzunzu said. He said Paradzaordered the police to justify the
basis of the arrests and detention withinone hour of service of the
directive, failing which the mayor and his groupwere to be released from
custody.

It was not an order for the
release of Mudzuri but rather one for thepolice to justify his continued
incarceration, Manzunzu said.

He said
Paradza only made the order for Mudzuri's release thefollowing day after
hearing submissions from both parties' lawyers andhaving satisfied himself
that there was no justification to continuedetaining
them.

Mudzuri along with his deputy,
Sekesai Makwavarara, and others werearrested in Mabvuku on Saturday for
allegedly holding an illegal politicalmeeting.

United
Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday said whilenature could be
blamed for the famine and political crisis in Zimbabwe,mismanagement by the
government was also to blame.

In a speech
delivered at the UN headquarters in New York, Annan saidthe crisis in
Zimbabwe was top-most in his heart.

On the
threat of famine and other problems facing Africa, the UN chiefexpressed
concern with Zimbabwe, now wracked by hunger and
HIV/Aids.

"This tragic situation is caused
partly by the forces of nature, andpartly by mismanagement. We could debate
endlessly which of them made thegreater contribution," he said. "But the
challenge now is for allZimbabweans to work together and with each other,
and with the internationalcommunity, to find solutions before it is too
late."

Annan has in the past lamented the
violence and deterioratingsituation in Zimbabwe. Two years ago, he appealed
to both the government andthe opposition to respect democracy and settle
their differencesconstitutionally.

The
UN's World Food Programme has been helping in supplying food toover half the
country's population facing starvation, mainly due to thegovernment's
chaotic land reform programme and the drought. The politicalcrisis has
deteriorated, with Zanu PF and the MDC engaged in spins anddenials over
President Mugabe's talked-about exit plan, which reportedly hadthe backing
of South Africa and Britain.

Annan said
the year was beginning with a lot of anxiety over theprospect of war in
Iraq, over nuclear proliferation in the Korean peninsula,and over what seems
like violence without end in the Middle
East.

"Even Côte d'Ivoire, which used to
be one of the most stable andprosperous countries in Africa, is now caught
in the downward spiral ofconflict.

"The threat of global terror hangs over all of us. We don't know whereor
when it will strike next. "And these are only the crises in theheadlines!"
Annan said.

He said the Aids epidemic will
claim many more lives this year thaneven a war in Iraq
would.

"In southern Africa and the Horn of
Africa, as many as 30 millionpeople face the threat of starvation this year.
And poverty everywhere iscondemning mothers and infants to premature deaths,
sending them to bedhungry, denying them clean drinking water, keeping them
away from school."

THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions (ZCTU) is urging its affiliatesto ignore a circular on the wage and
salary freeze being pushed for thisyear by the
government.

Wellington Chibhebhe, the ZCTU
secretary-general said in a statementon Wednesday that the circular was "the
work of one member of the tripartitenegotiating
forum".

The Chronicle last Thursday ran a
story quoting Lance Museka, thepermanent secretary in the Ministry of Public
Service, Labour and SocialWelfare, as saying the government had frozen all
wage and salary increases.

Said Chibhebhe:
"Not until a joint agreement is reached at thetripartite negotiating forum
should trade unions stop to negotiate for the2003
salaries."

He said the high cost of basic
commodities which the government isstruggling to rein in by imposing wage
and salary freezes, was due to thespiralling rate of inflation resulting
from the government's skewed
economicpolicies.

The labour leader
decried the government's obsession withmicro-economic problems such as wage
freezes and price controls withoutaddressing the causes of the current
economic stagnation such as the chaoticland-reforms and
politically-motivated violence.

The ZCTU
condemned the government's onslaught against dissentingvoices including last
Saturday's arrest and subsequent detention of HarareExecutive Mayor, Elias
Mudzuri.

"Civic groups, politicians and
any Zimbabwean citizen, should be leftto practice their democratic rights in
Zimbabwe and not be susceptible toarbitrary arrests and imprisonment as if
we are back to the pre-independencedays," Chibhebhe
said.

"The government, through the
Zimbabwe Republic Police, is making thesituation seem as if these citizens
of Zimbabwe who are being arrested everyday are a problem to peace and
security in the country yet these people areonly bringing out the faults in
the system and governance of the country"

Chibhebhe said Mudzuri's arrest at a consultative meeting withresidents of
Mabvuku was a ploy to divert attention from more profoundproblems facing the
country.

The arrests took
place after the four were allegedly assaulted bysuspected Zanu PF youths in
Kuwadzana for about two hours.

They were
released on Wednesday after paying a $5 000 fine each forcontravening the
Miscellaneous Offices Act.

Mangodza said:
"The Zanu PF youths took us into a disused building,which they have turned
into their base. They held us suspended by our feetand hands while more than
five people assaulted each one of us all over
thebody.

"We were later taken to
Kuwadzana Police Station and detainedovernight." The arrests came shortly
after police were ordered by the HighCourt to release Elias Mudzuri, the
Executive Mayor of Harare and
otherresidents.

The group was arrested
for contravening the notorious Public OrderSecurity Act (POSA) by allegedly
holding a political meeting in Mabvuku
onSaturday.

Mangodza, Gadzira, Rose,
and the Kuwadzana resident, who wereinitially charged under POSA, were
released at about 6pm the following dayafter paying the
fines. CHRA's lawyer Silas Chekera, said
police moved the four men fromKuwadzana to Warren Park Police Station on
Wednesday morning beforetransferring them to the Harare Central Police
Station's law and ordersection in the afternoon. They were later returned to
Kuwadzana PoliceStation where they paid the
fines.